Johann Peter Magnus, Physician
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 17.6 × 13 cm (6 15/16 × 5 1/8 in.); secondary support: 28.6 × 22.2 cm (11 5/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
267739
Art Historical Context
This engraving by Aegidius Sadeler II, created in 1617, presents a dignified portrait of Johann Peter Magnus, a physician of early seventeenth century. Sadeler, a Flemish printmaker active in the courts of Prague and Vienna, was renowned for his precise and elegant engravings that captured the likenesses of scholars, nobles, and professionals. Such portraits served not only as personal mementos but also as visual records that helped establish the sitter’s status within intellectual and medical circles of the time. The work exemplifies the artistic and technical significance of engraving durin...
About the Artist
Aegidius Sadeler, II · 1570–1629
Aegidius Sadeler II was born in Antwerp around 1570 into the most distinguished printmaking dynasty of the sixteenth century. The Sadeler family — spanning Jan I, Raphael, and Aegidius I — dominated the European print trade from their Flemish base, and Aegidius II was trained by his uncle Jan Sadeler I, under whom he was listed as a pupil in the records of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1585. He...